The Fall Challenge has officially wrapped! This year was incredible, we had so many athletes complete the challenge and really put everything they had into those final test out days. Testing your lifts and metcons for 3 days in a row is so rigorous, and you all really rose to the challenge in a way that testifies to your internal strength as well as your physical strength.
I want to first start by congratulating our Spirit of the Challenge award winner(s). Normally this is one person, but we just couldn’t choose between these two rock stars, so the award goes to… Jessie Johnson & Mike Grewe! Jessie is getting double awards this month because she is also our Athlete of the Month, but this should surprise no one, as she has been putting herself into every challenge with 100% effort and 100% enthusiasm. Mike Grewe is our other winner. All of the coaches have watched Mike grow so much in confidence since joining, and the Fall Challenge is where he really shined, pushing himself and making HUGE improvements on all of his lifts. Both of these athletes also supported others in the gym and were constantly cheering people on. Thank you both for being so wonderful.
There are also some gym numbers I want to point out right not before we even do anything else. The average deadlift for the challenge was 293#, press was 102# and snatch was 105#. I’m so blown away by these numbers I can’t even handle it. We also had an average increase of +33# on deadlift, +8# on press and +14# on snatch. Those numbers are CRAZY. You should all be so incredibly proud.
Other Prize Winners
Highest Overall Wilkes: Lara Friedman-Shedlov swept this category by having the highest Wilks in all three categories! Congrats Lara, you are a total monster on the barbell.
- Lara Friedman-Shedlov (271.4)
- Pat Staiger (222.7)
- Eril Neilsen (206.5)
Most Improved Wilks: Jenessa White CRUSHED this category in a sweeping victory. She improved vastly in each of the three lifts and just obliterated her deadlift score.
- Jenessa White (+41.9)
- Jessie Johnson (+22.8)
- Elisabeth Groebel (+22.3)
Top Jackie Score: Matt Erickson really kicked butt on this one, so much so that he was left gasping on the floor for a while afterward. Great job Matt! Way to push it to the lung-limit.
- Matt Erickson (7:39 P)
- Pat Staiger (7:54 P)
- Mike Grewe (8:23 P)
Other Notable Scores:
Heaviest Deadlifts by Wilks:
- Lara Friedman-Shedlov, 365#, 173.2 Wilks
- Pat Staiger, 440#, 134.2 Wilks
- Daphne Sidor, 260#, 134.2 Wilks
Most Improved Deadlift
- Jenessa White, +28.6 Wilks (215 –> 290#)
- Adam Quick, + 16.6 Wilks (305 –> 365#)
- Nick Cross, +15.7 Wilks (245 –> 300#)
Heaviest Press by Wilks:
- Lara Friedman-Shedlov, 105#, 49.6 Wilks
- Pat Staiger, 155#, 47.3 Wilks
- Michael Peterson, 170#, 40 Wilks
Most Improved Press
- Mike Grewe, +5.9 Wilks (115 –> 135#)
- Jenessa White, +5.7 Wilks (80 –> 95#)
- Erin Walsh, +5.7 Wilks (55 –> 67#)
Heaviest Snatch by Wilks:
- Lara Friedman-Shedlov, 105#, 49.6 Wilks
- Erik Nielsen, 175#, 43.9 Wilks
- Nate Aul, 135#, 43.7 Wilks
Most Improved Snatch
- Jessie Johnson, +11.6 Wilks (35 –> 60#)
- Jenessa White, +7.6 Wilks (75 –> 95#)
- Erin Walsh, +5.7 Wilks (65–> 77#)
There are so many more shout-outs I could give to everyone who put their whole heart and all their muscles behind this challenge. You are all so cool and I am so proud I am bursting!!!! For those of you who won prizes (Lara, Jenessa, Matt, Mike and Jessie) I will have your prizes for you on the bump by Friday of this week. Thank you thank you thank you all for being the best ever. Congratulations on a job well done EVERYONE!